The Light Keeps Shining | Sermon 05/14/2023

All right, if you would please turn with me and your Bibles to John chapter 8

Gospel according to John we're gonna be in chapter 8 verses 12 through 20 12 through 20

Church the title of the sermon today is the light keeps shining the light keeps shining

So starting in verse 12 in the gospel according to John Chapter 8 here now the inerrance and infallible words of the living and true

God Then Jesus again spoke to them saying I Am the light of the world he who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life

So the Pharisees said to him you are testifying about yourself your testimony is not true

Jesus answered and said to them even if I testify about myself My testimony is true

For I know where I came from and where I am going But you do not know where I come from or where I am going you judge according to the flesh

I am NOT judging anyone But even if I do judge my judgment is true for I am

NOT alone in it, but I and the Father who sent me Even in your law it has been written that the testimony of two men is true

I am he who testifies about myself and the father who sent me testifies about me

So they were saying to him. Where is your father? Jesus answered, you know, neither me nor my father if you knew me you would know my father also

These words he spoke in the treasury as he taught in the temple and no one seized him because his hour had not yet come

Thus ending the reading of God's holy Inspired word. Let's pray one more time quickly

Church God. I ask that you would please speak through me today dear God Lord, would you please?

Illuminate the scriptures for your people by your Holy Spirit The same spirit who gave us these words that we have in front of us

God, would you please help us? to not merely Receive information today, but always to be transformed by the renewing of our mind hearing your word and God, please help us to grow to be sanctified beatified

Lord help me to speak in a way that it's clear and helpful and let it always be true

I pray this in Jesus name. Amen Now before we get into the immediate context of The light of the world proclamation

We have to consider one of the premier narratives of light in the

Bible You see after the Lord Yahweh had raised up a deliverer named

Moses for his people who were in slavery under Pharaoh and The plagues of God came down against the demonic forces of Egypt the free people

The free people of the twelve tribes of Israel made their exodus from slavery towards the freedom of the promised land

It says as as they traveled toward the Red Sea the men of Israel set themselves in martial array that is in groups like soldiers

Okay they were protecting the people and That was wise that they did that because as it turns out in the hardness of Pharaoh's heart even after all the tragedy and judgment in that came to his own household and upon his land he then pursued the

Hebrews with a dark vengeance and So to escape the clutches of the

Egyptians the people had to maintain a steady march Nine day nine day they kept marching

They were being fiercely pursued and so they had to keep going night and day. In fact, it says in Exodus 13

Verses 21 through 22. This is not on the screen, but I'll read it to you This March was only possible because of this it says the

Lord It was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way and in a pillar of fire by Night to give them light that they might travel by day and by night

He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night from before the people you see you can't travel in the darkness of night with this multitude of people and carts and and Livestock and elderly and children.

You can't keep going through the dark without some sort of light. You couldn't see God in his infinite wisdom had to be their light

He had to be their light and so he became this pillar of cloud pillar of fire and Now I personally don't believe that the pillar of cloud and pillar of fire are two different things

Okay you see in the center of the pillar was the very presence of the

Lord and Just outside of the presence of the Lord was the Shekinah glory of God this amazing brilliance and glory of God right outside his presence

The kind of glory and shine that would blind a man and then just outside of that was fire

Fire covered the Shekinah glory in presence of God some even possibly believe that that fire was the

Holy Spirit Manifesting as fire and then beyond that was a cloud cloud covering those things and so during the day lest God's Glory kill the people for looking upon his presence.

The Lord veiled himself And the fire with a cloud and at night the fire and glory of the

Lord was so bright That it didn't matter that there was a cloud in the nighttime

The glory of God shone through the cloud leading them in the evenings, okay his

Presence lit the way for the people His presence was light. It was warmth.

It was comforting Right as a fire is a comfort for a lone traveler and lone traveler under the darkness of night

So is this more and infinitely more comforting? being

God's presence So right as the Hebrews got to the beaches of the

Red Sea Despair struck them, right? How would they escape the

Egyptians now We all know the accounts of how God instructed

Moses to put his staff in the sea and it parted allowing the people to traverse upon dry ground, but here's what

We don't mention often What made their escape possible

Was the power of God to delay their chasers? the presence of God in the pillar of fire and cloud moved from going before the people and that pillar of fire moved to their rear

So, can you imagine this the Hebrews come upon the Red Sea they're facing this water

They think there's no way we're getting across this the Pharaoh and his army is right behind us

They're looking at something that seems impossible But then all of a sudden the the cloud of fire the pillar of fire and cloud

God's presence moves from being in front of them moves behind them and Becomes now an obstacle to Pharaoh and his armies

To the people of God Okay, he stood fixed there. And so Pharaoh and his army they were dead in their tracks and Can you just kind of imagine?

imagine the seas have parted and You're a young Hebrew boy or girl or whatever age and You're going down and you're looking in front of you at walls of water to your right and left and You start going down the beach and you're going down the beach and you're descending down into the depths to the seafloor and you're walking down walls of water on each side of you and you're curious and you look back and When you look back

You thought you'd be fearful but what do you see just above the beach which now looks like the ridge of a mountain because you're lower and on the

Seafloor and you look up and there's a pillar of fire God's presence

Blocking the enemy from getting to you and you keep running but this time you're not running in fear

You're running because you're excited. God's going to deliver me He's gonna do what he promised he would do and you keep going through the walls of water to the other side

That's what our God does the Lord has promised this Same sort of deliverance with in the coming of his son

So with those things in mind the pillar of fire in our mind, let's move on into our text We're gonna be sitting in verse 12 for for a bit of time here

It says then Jesus again spoke to them saying I am the light of the world He who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life

So we saw on the last day the the great day of the Feast of Tabernacles the water libation ceremony the priests led a procession with a golden vessel filled with water from the pool of Siloam and they asked the

Lord God to bless them and The priests poured out the water For not only future crops and future blessing of God and rain to come down But they also asked that God would pour out his spirit.

We talked about that last week and As the water drained from the golden vessel and the prayer was given if you remember

Jesus stood up When the last drop fell Jesus stood up and he said if anyone thirsts

Let him come to me and drink he who believes in me will have a river of living waters flow from his innermost being

We saw that Jesus was giving us a foretaste of the giving of the Holy Spirit that's what it said in verse 39 and what he said in the midst of all the pilgrims and Inhabitants of Israel and Jewish leadership led to what it led to a bunch of speculation

Conspiracies and a division amongst the people and then a Conversation between Jewish leadership and temple police as well as with Nicodemus Okay, if you've missed this

I'm talking about chapter 7 verse 37 through 52

I preached that last week it would if you haven't seen that Sermon, I would suggest to go online and rewatch that But if you remember the

Pharisees condemned the Levite temple guards then they condemned the ignorant crowd of people and even their colleague

Nicodemus and There was this internal conversation between the Pharisees that ended with claims against Galilee You see, how can this man be the

Messiah when he's from the Galilean region? We saw however that the

Messiah would be born in Bethlehem and yet at the very same time Isaiah chapter 9 said that the light the

Messiah the light would come from the north in Galilee and he would come to his people and those who walk in darkness would see a great light and As far as we can tell and I went over this before we started the service

Verse 20 Verse 20 shows us that he's still at the temple and This verse 8 12 takes place as I spoke earlier just after John 7 verse 52 so Why am

I recapping so much because the Feast of Tabernacles or what's called the Feast of Booths or Sakat?

That should still be on your mind. We haven't moved away yet We're still Feast of Booths or or with it within a few days after this could still be the great day

Where he said the living water statement or this could be shortly after We don't really know it could it could have been the same day

But these are Something these two things go together. That's that's what I want to make clear.

This is what should be on our mind Okay So we looked at the different ceremonies and rituals that Jews would perform during this feast and according to experts

Besides the water libation Ritual that we went over the second ritual was performed at night.

It's performed at night for huge Menorahs or candelabras as they're called were set up to illuminate the entire temple area

By the way, this is not Hanukkah yet in John chapter 10 is when

Jesus will celebrate Hanukkah So just want to make that clear when I say menorahs, they're just they're lampstands

But they're not the one that this is not Hanukkah yet different context. We're still in the Feast of Booths Feast of Tabernacles.

Okay Now the candelabras in actuality were so large that each of the stems

Formed this huge torch huge torches and each stem

Had a golden bowl at the top and each golden bowl held to something they say possibly 20 to 30 liters of oil

Okay, 20 to 30 liters of oil on each torch of the candelabras or menorahs, okay, and the the some have

Reported that the torches were so tall that they were as tall as the highest portion of the temple walls and believe it or not the

The wicks that were put into the top of the bowls of oil were made from the worn -out garments of priests

So I guess this is when they would get new clothes. They'd be like, yeah, this feast is wonderful Now we're gonna get new new clothes.

They would take their old garments old robes and they would tie them together and Twist them and they would use those as the wicks

They would light those okay, and so a smaller torch was carried to light the procession and This is at nighttime and they take this this small torch and they would go to light the the wick made out of the pre -sold garments and it would go into the oil and and they would light everything all at once and Everyone would start dancing and playing the flute and the lyre and cymbals and harps

It was just such a joyful time in the evening and the Levites Would go around and they would be chanting what's called the psalms of ascent

Which are psalms 120 through 134 And if you remember they had different psalms for the water ritual now, they did psalms 120 through 134 each psalm on each of the 15 steps

Leading from the court of the Israelites to the court of the women That's also where the

Treasury was. The Treasury was actually these these basins that look like trumpets and they would put money in the hole of the like the

Like the hole of the trumpet and it would narrow and anyways the Treasury and the court of the women are the same area

Isn't that interesting by the way, they would do this in the court of the women and yeah, we're Mother's Day, right?

that's interesting, but they would they would march there to the court of the women and They would then see the the large lamps

And it would become so gloriously lit Imagine what a what a wonderful scene this would have been the majesty of the procession and the golden walls

Of the temple would shine and they'd be bathed in torch lit

A Torch lit a night night time everything everything was lively every everyone was dancing

It was it was amazing. The the whole city was teeming. Okay Now some report that the glow of these huge lamps could be seen far beyond Jerusalem These huge lamps would light up the whole sky above the city and you could see it from the desert night

Just amazing and just as the people would understand in Genesis 1 that all light comes from the

Lord God and Just as the people would recount that pillar of fire that led them by night in the

Exodus wilderness just as they would ask God to continue to lead them in to his salvation and just as the

Shekinah glory of God shone so brightly from Mount Sinai in his perfect holiness and Just as there were was to be a

Messiah And The people who walk in darkness would see a great light with all these things in mind in this moment

With all this history and all these things of the scripture that the people would have known in there dancing and they're celebrating

Either that night or that day or within a few days after Jesus stands up With these lamps that have been going all week long

Jesus speaks out once again and says a go a me Tau Fos to Cosmo I am the light of the world.

I am the light of the world He makes an I am statement And if if you haven't been with us, that is to say he's pointing back to the burning bush passage in Exodus 3

He declares that he has the name Yahweh which we heard Andrew talk about from the psalm that means

Lord He makes an I am statement along with saying that he is the God who's created

He is the Lord who led them in the wilderness in the pillar of fire He is the Messiah who will shine light on a dark land.

It's him He says it's me This whole week. You've been seeing light this glorious light shining and he says

I'm the light of the world I'm I'm brighter than all these menorahs all these torches that you see.

I'm the light come to me celebrate me He says it's him and He won't just light up Israel.

He says he's gonna light up the whole world. I'm the light of the world I'm not just the light of of Israel. I'm the light of the world

Now we we don't see what the people thought after this audacious claim of Jesus But we do know that from childhood they would have sung the

Psalms they would have known them well and just as Brother Andrew gave us psalm 27 today psalm 27 one

The very first one says the Lord is my light and my salvation

Yahweh I am Is my light and my salvation and Jesus is saying that's me.

That's me He is that Lord he is it and what's amazing is

Zechariah 14 was possibly read during this feast Zechariah 14 and Zechariah 14 speaks that of this.

Okay. What does it say? Zechariah 14 you've got to look it up later. It says that the

Lord was going to come into his temple Okay, the Lord was going to come into his temple

Zechariah then says he's going to be a great light and Then Zechariah says this is amazing.

He says living waters will then flow from that area living waters will flow and it'll leave

Jerusalem and The Lord will then become king over the whole earth as his living waters and light cover the whole earth

It's amazing and What have we seen already in this Feast of Booths?

Passage in chapter 7 in the beginning of first beginning of chapter 8 here we've seen

Jesus proclaim I'm gonna come into my temple and he came to the temple and then he he said

I Will give you living waters and that's what's said in Zechariah 14. Then he says I am the light

So check that out. That's amazing. Just such a powerful statement A powerful prophetic connection there in Zechariah and Jesus doesn't just simply let this powerful statement

I am the light of the world hang out in midair Okay He calls all people to action

Those who want to be of the light what must what follow me

Follow me follow Jesus Now concerning Jesus's statement that he is the light.

I think there are a few things that he is possibly alluding to Let me go over those real quick with using a go a me and I am statement

Jesus is making a divine claim once again and when used with lights

We are and hopefully you already have when you see Yahweh and light you are to think of what?

Genesis chapter 1 in the beginning God made the heavens and the earth and he said let there be what light that's what we're to think of and John already showed us in the prologue in John chapter 1 when

John peeled back the veil and showed us the Eternality of Jesus who is called the logos or the word?

That he's always been God and was with God showing the trying nature of the one God But it also said what it said

That not anything that was made was made apart from Jesus He is the creator

John 1 He is the creator. It was through the Son of God that the light came into existence

So the pre -incarnate Christ put that star in the sky that we call the

Sun and It's amazing. It's it's at the exact perfect distance for life, which is amazing

Jesus put it there perfectly. He sustains it there perfectly People say one day that Sun is gonna blow up and we're all gonna be dead

Not unless Jesus allows it my friends Jesus sustains it Jesus upholds it

It's currently not what scripture shows. He's gonna return one day and he will be our light.

He will be our light So we see a divinity and creator claim here number two next light is also compared to goodness in the

Bible Jesus is the source of all that is good. It is one of his divine attributes goodness

In fact omni benevolence means what all good Jesus is completely good.

He's totally good without sin not a single tarnishing blemish of unrighteousness is in him

That is honestly difficult to comprehend because of how much sin has affected us and this world, but He has redeemed himself of people no longer slaves to sin

But think about it even as believers How much does darkness still cry out to you?

You know, it's like in mythology sirens These These mythical creatures they sing these these mesmerizing spells in these forests or or out of the water and they call to you come

Come back to the darkness come back Calling us away from the light

But greater is he that is in you then that sort of evil that sort of darkness that is in this world

Micah 7 says he will bring me out to the light and I will see his righteousness

Daniel 2 says it is he who reveals the profound and hidden things

God knows what is in the darkness and the light dwells in him. Okay goodness and light

That's Christ number three next Light is also associated with knowledge in the

Bible Ecclesiastes and Daniel speak of illumination as wisdom or knowledge

Being the light of the world also makes Jesus the source of all knowledge and wisdom with Christ you will be made regenerate

Your darkness is illuminated and spirit wrought knowledge and understanding is given to you

Right we now is redeemed people we we are a we have the capacity to understand the

Word of God You know people say how could you know? How do you know?

Well, it's not only is it the plain meaning of the text, but I was blind to these words

Before he saved me. I tried I'm telling you I tried for years to read these words and it was like I Couldn't I couldn't understand any of it.

I'm telling you it was so difficult to me But when he saves us, he gives us the capacity to understand these words

He gives us knowledge He says in James chapter 1 that if we need wisdom, we all we need to do is ask for that wisdom

That's obviously the context is related to that is wisdom during trials, but there's a general application there

And where does wisdom come from from his word from his word? We saw in John chapter 6 when the father draws you he will make you learn from him and you will then come to Jesus Following the lighted path is only possible with knowledge from God that is paired with faith

And so God is what's called. We said I'm omnibenevolent now.

I'm talking about omniscience that is all Knowledge he is all knowledgeable.

He has he is all -knowing Okay, this is another one of his Incommunicable attributes we don't share that with him

We're not all knowledgeable when we go to be with him. We won't become all knowledgeable only he is that's an attribute of God Job 12 says he reveals mysteries from the darkness and brings the deep darkness into light along with knowledge

Again light points to the word Psalm 119 says what the Word of God is a lamp unto my feet

The Word of God lights my path Amen His word is where I can get

Illuminating knowledge, you know people are seeking all this knowledge. They're seeking all this wisdom this illumination

They're climbing mountains up to these gurus hoping to receive something That they can't receive anywhere else and it's in his word.

It says it's the light. It's what illuminates and Jesus is what he's called the

Word in John 1. There you go. See how it all fits together Number four next we must consider what light does in the darkness

Have you ever been Camping or you're traveling and you're in the middle of nowhere

Maybe you're miles away from any sort of city or street lights we're talking that trip that you went on and it was

Blackness you ever you ever been in a situation like that or camping or something? It's just complete blackness.

I Remember, I did not grow up. I had a surfer dad

He took us to the beach when we wanted to get away. We never went camping My dad doesn't know anything about fishing hunting nothing

So I've been trying to recoup that as an adult, but I remember we went we went with the church camping right and we've gone a couple times and It's just amazing how dark it gets when you're out in the woods

Not near any sort of city, right? It's incredible and and so think about that blackness and the stars become of course more vibrant they become more distinct

But if you're walking in darkness, if you don't have the flashlight in that moment, you can't see you really can't

Unless there's a full moon or something. You cannot see it is very hard and so you grope with your hands you you kind of Shuffle your feet a little bit more you you get slower than you normally would be you're less confident and maybe

Even for some you just become immobile. I can imagine my wife going Wade light something help

She she you would do that probably. Yeah And so that's what can happen is we become immobile

Scripture says they grope in darkness when there is no light they stagger and so what is incredible and you might have experienced this yourself is when you're in one of these moments if You light one single light.

It doesn't even have to be a great light It doesn't even have to be your car headlights if you want if you light one single

Small lamp in one of these situations where it's complete blackness. It just like pierces

Through the darkness doesn't it? It just pierces through it It just lights things you realize how much a small bulb can actually go

You know this many feet that way and this this much feet that way. It's incredible. He's how is this possible and so You might have that moment the the tent zipper opens up and it's like maybe for my wife

I would then put a light out and she would see it and she would keep walking in more confidence But your your eyes lock on to it if you're in that sort of situation

There's any bit of light your your eyes lock on to it and all becomes well, and that light makes a little path it does light makes paths and You step into that path of?

light Should you step into the shadows again? you'll be lost again and Jesus Christ is that light.

He is the greatest beacon that has ever been lit He is the one we look to as we leave the blackness and darkness and the groping and immobility

Because this light of the world is all good. We also leave the darkness of sin

Colossians 1 says for he rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved son the kingdom of light in Psalm 36 the psalmist speaks to God and he says

Lord in your light We see light Lord in your light we see light

Maybe maybe that's even messianic. Maybe that's even pointing to this Lord in your son.

We see your light in Your son we see your light the same goodness

When Isaiah talks about the coming kingdom of the Messiah in Isaiah verse 6 chapter 60

He says that this Messiah will be an everlasting light He'll light up the new creation

And he who follows Jesus will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life Now what's opposite of the light of life?

It's the darkness of death Light of life darkness of death and it sounds absolutely awful

But that's the only other option. There's nothing in the middle. There's nothing like Dim lighting or something, you know, like how you choose so you have a dimmer on in your house

It doesn't seem that the scripture shows anything else There's either the light that Christ offers or there's the darkness light of life darkness of death.

There's there's no middle And he's come to take us away from this darkness

The darkness of this life that could lead us to the ultimate darkness of death

You know Jesus is called the bright morning star He is the waypoint. He is true north

He is the road to life and there is no other way. There is no frontage road brothers or sisters.

There's no parallel path He is the only way to the gloriously illuminated kingdom

All other paths are under darkness You see if you if you take what

Jesus has said here and you understand Light and in the way that the lights create paths

Then you would understand that when people around you say look there's a little bit of light in every religion

We can get to the light with the little bit of light they give us actually They're in darkness.

They're in complete and utter darkness. There is no way to the great lights

Jesus Christ unless you follow the path that he is set before to himself

He's the only way He is so bright

The path is lit from the beginning and grows brighter still as you reach him He says he who follows me will have this light and when

Jesus says follow me can he mean anything else Can he mean you can get the light of life with a new age?

Can you get the light of life with Buddhism? Can you get it with philosophical enlightenment?

Can you get it with what's real big right now is psychedelics spirit guides well demons

Disguise themselves as angels of light and we saw that there were demons in the

Gospels who recognized who Jesus was He's the most high

God. Maybe a spirit guide or a demon can lead me to the light of life. No, that's dead wrong

None of these things can lead you to the light of life none of them when

Jesus says Follows me he excludes all others than himself

So let's move on to verses 13 14. That was the meat of it it says

Actually, I'll come back to that so the light of the world declaration stops here

Now we will see this section Turn into the Pharisees questioning

Jesus's authority to make such a claim So he makes this he makes this claim after this amazing light lighting ceremony

They've been seeing these amazing lamps all week long Jesus makes this claim and now they're gonna question his authority to make such a claim

There's been a lot of talking behind Jesus's back a lot of conspiring against him

Hiding behind the crowds to cloak their disdain, but now we will have a direct confrontation

Here we go verse 13 So the Pharisees said to him

You are testifying about yourself Your testimony is not true

Now, what are they saying? the Pharisees Essentially are saying why should we believe what you're saying is true when you're the only one saying it

You're the only one testifying about yourself. You can't be a witness to yourself

Someone else has to validate these claims Jesus of Nazareth. It's possible.

They're even angry. They've been angry this whole time Because Jesus acts without them

You See the Pharisees love for new men to rise up and come under their ranks and they can control men narcissistically

Use them for their own glory Maybe they'd be okay with Jesus doing miracles and signs and wonders as long as he filtered it through them and they got the glory

From men that they wanted But Jesus acts alone He's got 12 main

Disciples following him But why should even those 12 follow him?

Why should they believe what Jesus is saying? verse 14 Jesus answered and said to them

Even if I testify Testify about myself. My testimony is true for I know where I came from and where I am going but you do not know where I come from or where I am going and so If you've been with us for some time

You might be reminded of John chapter 5 the witnesses of Christ at the end of John chapter 5

Jesus spoke about four witnesses to who he is. There's four He went over that He said that he's not a solo witness in John chapter 5 he said first John the

Baptist The prophesied forerunner to come before the Messiah he testified of Jesus Jesus then said that John acted as what a lamp.

Do you remember that John chapter 5 verse 35? He said John was like a lamp in which he was shining the light that was to come and that finally came

Jesus also said in John chapter 5 that the very works that he performs the healings the teachings the supernatural wonders and miracles

Those are a witness to that. He is the I am the light of the world Then he said the father

Testifies of him and of course he ended saying the fourth witness to who he is are the scriptures and not just a multitude of specific proof texts

The whole of the holy book is a witness of who he is Where he came from where he is going and what he is doing

These witnesses though were not enough These witnesses were not enough for the

Pharisees because they were unwilling to come to Jesus for life They couldn't see it

They couldn't hear the testimony of these four witnesses and believe it because of their hardness of heart and unbelief

But in a way the Pharisees are at least correct conceptually, okay

You see if I stand here and I say that I am a prophet from God Or something like that Then I would have to demonstrate it

Right if you're at all on Facebook these days, which who loves social media?

It blows but if you are on it and like me, I'm sharing just stuff from church and things like that But I'll get friend requests from guys from Pakistan or Africa and it says

Prophets so -and -so the Apostle so -and -so you see that a lot.

It's like Where did this come from? How are they prophets? if I said that I'd have to demonstrate it and even if I could give signs or wonders or give correct prophecies

You still might even Be Leary of the veracity of my statements.

Why because I'm a I'm a man I'm a fallible man. I'm flawed and I'm in the fallen state but Jesus Jesus makes it clear that he could speak for himself

Apart from any of those witnesses and it would be true. It is true He is what's called self attesting self authenticating and Even though God great gave those witnesses.

He didn't have to As God in the flesh he needs no validation from men

He knows he came from heaven and he's going back to heaven whether they believe it or not

Honestly, if you look at verse 14 This is one of the greatest verses to show that God allows himself to appeal to himself

He and his word are allowed to be circular why Why can

God? Circle back and appeal to himself. Why can Jesus appeal to himself?

Because we see that in in scholarship and in arguments. Hey, that's circular reasoning that's circular reasoning

Well God and his word is allowed to be circular. Why? Because there is nothing and no one higher than God.

That's why He can't appeal to anything else If you understand it an absolute an absolute and perfect being must appeal to himself

Because if he if he were to appeal to anything else as a greater authority than he is

Then it would be greater than he is it would be greater than he is But he's the he's the stopping point.

Does that make sense? You know, I might as a pastor I might appeal to my sending church.

Yeah, you know I'm here as a pastor. I'm not here on my own Simply because I was called

I was sent here Pastor Jeff Durbin pastor James White pastor

Zach Morgan pastor Luke Pearson They send me so I would point to something a little bit higher and say that's why

I'm here And then beyond that you go. Well, was it just men who sent you then

I go no No beyond them God wanted me here and God used by his

Holy Spirit the men in my life the church that I was from and an internal calling in me and That's why

I'm here and I would I would you see how I'm moving up this this ladder and I'm stopping at the

Place where you can go no further. That is God And so that's what Jesus is doing even if I testify about Myself My testimony is true.

He doesn't need witnesses He graciously gave witnesses.

They aren't greater than him But he doesn't need to he's the pinnacle and we can't go any higher

So remember that by the way in your evangelism when people are like well

We should prove that Jesus is God. Well, how would you prove it? Well, I'd prove it by getting

Testimony and looking through history and it's like okay, but ultimately God is

God because he's God and it's Again, that sounds circular but because he's an absolute and perfect being he's allowed to be circular

Bonson has some great explanations of this as well The fact is men the men in front of Jesus have no right to speak to his identity or divinity

Because they do not know where he is from nowhere nor where he is going They are not credible witnesses and therefore they cannot provide testimony

Even against him So, what will they do later They'll provide false witnesses to condemn

Jesus Now what happens next in our text Verse 15

Jesus rebukes the Pharisees you judge according to the flesh

Now if you remember from John chapter 7 verse 24, he says Don't judge by appearances.

This is very much in the same line of thinking but I think this cuts even deeper They are not just judging by mere appearance anymore

But they're judging by their flesh by their own fallenness They judge Jesus without the bridled and loving constraints of the

Holy Spirit They are judging by carnal standards by their own fallenness by their flesh by human standards

They can't see beyond what they think is just a man from Galilee That's all they see they've got to go deeper

They're judging according to the flesh Their judgments are too superficial and it's going to keep them blinded from the truth

You see it's like when the kingdom of Israel was being stripped away from King Saul and Given to a man after God's own heart.

That is the son of Jesse the young man named David if you remember when the scriptures

Gave a description of Saul it said what it said that he was really tall and handsome

He was taller than most of the other men in the tribe of Benjamin and possibly in Israel Saul was a tall man and he was a handsome man.

He looked like a king He looked like a king Saul looked like a king But David it says was a ruddy

Young man and so the Prophet Samuel was going to anoint the young David for future kingship and the

Lord had to assure Samuel because even the Prophet Samuel came up to David and it's like Sure about this guy

Sure about this guy God and it says in 1st Samuel the Lord said to Samuel Do not look at his appearance or the height of his stature

For God sees not as man sees for man looks at the outward

Appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. So it's like Pharisees Consider the witnesses of John the

Baptist Jesus's works his father and the scriptures Consider the spiritual and stop looking at only the physical

But you know, it may be that the reason they keep judging by the flesh is because they wanted to satisfy the flesh

What did what have we found that the people wanted they wanted physical things.

They don't want spiritual things They want a Messiah that will conquer

Roman the Roman armies Roman occupation rid the land of the Romans Get their land back

The people right now in Jesus's time want a physical King to sit on a throne they want physical and carnal treasures and They want physical benefits that they think the

Messiah will bring they're judging by the flesh They don't consider that their biggest need beyond all the physical is the spiritual state of their soul

The Need for a redemption that saves them from a punishment that goes beyond foreign occupation and extends into eternity future

All in all they see Jesus's flesh But they don't see the Word made flesh as John 1 says and so Jesus says

I Am NOT judging anyone. I am NOT judging anyone

So, what does he mean by that? because if you remember John chapter 7 said He called us to judge with righteous judgment.

Remember that he said judge with righteous judgment We talked about Matthew 7 how that was about Hypocritical judgmental ism.

It's not that we can't judge In fact, you're gonna make judgment calls when you leave here today, you're gonna make judgment calls in your work judgments in your home

You're gonna judge that little Timmy hit your daughter and you're gonna spank him real good

You're gonna make a judgment, right? And so what is Jesus saying here? He says I Am NOT judging

Maybe it's two things Maybe like John chapter 3 verse 17

For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the word world might be saved through him

Think about it God in the flesh by his very

Nature as Jesus walks through crowds of people They ought to perish under the judgment of a holy god as perfection walks by Blemishes ought to drop dead, but they don't they don't

And he doesn't slay them by the word of his mouth for the blasphemous things or attacks that they perpetrate against him

Jesus is what's called forbearing. He is Merciful he is slow to anger and his purpose as John 3 said was to give salvation

Now judgment is indeed coming But for now in Jesus's humility, he will endure the shame and mockery because of love because of love

He could have said you judged me by the flesh and from your flesh, but I came here to love you and Give my flesh for you.

Give my body for you and show you the light But here's the other thing

I think this is Possibly the better fit for this contextually. This is the other thing that he could mean by this

Jesus is saying possibly that he doesn't judge like they do He doesn't judge in the flesh.

He's saying I don't judge in fallenness I don't judge in my flesh.

His assessments are not compromised by sin He doesn't need to appeal to the flesh to make a judgment on someone.

He can look to the heart He can look directly to the heart God condemns fallen judgment of the flesh and judgment by appearances

You see even for us Every time someone in the church possibly rubs us the wrong way.

We think we know the motives behind it We know the heart behind it we go. They hate me Yeah, they said that like that because they hate me or we say

They think they're better than me You hear how they said that? You hear how he kind of said that like really holy

He thinks he's better than me or They think I'm not a real Christian So we somehow come to these motives and conclusions without having the abilities that Jesus has

We're not supposed to judge by appearances or judged by the flesh. We're supposed to judge with righteous judgment.

And so that means If we don't know the motives if the person Who we don't understand why they said what they said if they didn't express their motives in what they said, then we can't assume anything

We can't don't speak to the motives.

Don't speculate about them. Don't sit in your bed thinking what they meant by that just deal with what was actually done and was what was actually said and Go from there ask for clarification

Hey, I just want to make sure I'm probably misunderstanding something.

But what did you mean when you said that as you left church because It's so stupid

I'm I'm thinking something different This is what I meant. You walk away. You're relieved.

We're we're not supposed to judge with the flesh Don't judge the way the Pharisees do

Verse 16, but even if I do judge my judgment is true for I am not alone in it But I and the

Father who sent me He says even if I judge even if I exercise my divine prerogative

My judgment is true Why he says because I'm not alone.

I Didn't come here myself. I was sent here He says I and my father are one

You see the triune God has one will and therefore one judgment and even in Jesus's humanity

He recognized that authorization and So we keep seeing it time and time again in the gospel according to John Jesus keeps aligning himself with the father

They are one It literally says in the Greek I am

NOT manas I am NOT one I Alone am

NOT one But the father and I see that but I am the father. I am

NOT one but I am the father And soon we would see revealed the

Holy Spirit would be included in that Go to verses 17 and 18 Even in your law, it has been written that the testimony of two men is true

I am he who testifies about myself and the father who sent me testifies about me

So he says even in your law even in your law What does he mean by that Somehow said why is

Jesus trying to distance himself from the law? He says in your law, isn't Jesus the author of that law the

Torah the talk? But since the Pharisees are trying to use the law to question

Jesus's ability to do these things in This moment and as we see in verse 19

He's trying to establish That he is the fullest form of revelation

It might as well have said in your interpretation in your flawed interpretation of the law

But he is the true law and he gives us the whole time the correct understanding of that law

He is as John a 118 says the exe Jesus of God and this law was fulfilled in him

And so Jesus pronounces it correctly. He says these things correctly They would seek to use it in the wrong way.

He uses it in the correct way and This comes from Deuteronomy 19 verse 15

This is the foundation for proving all testimonies and accusations it says a single witness

Shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or any sin

Which he has committed on the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed

By the way, do you know that America? Was founded in such a way where in our judicial systems?

Every testimony was proven by two to three witnesses now a man can be condemned to death by one witness and so that's that's a grave evil and the concern is that you're it's it's better to give two to three witnesses and Possibly let an evil man go free then accidentally kill an innocent an innocent man, right?

So two to three witnesses, that's this is a biblical thing Jesus affirms this in Matthew 18 in other places the

Apostle Affirm this Paul Speaks to not receiving an accusation against an elder in the church unless on the same basis.

And so this is foundational and What does Jesus say? He says the law

Even in your law has been written that the testimony of two men is true and he goes

I am That word he is an italics in the NASB 95 it says

I am who testifies about these things I am

I Am testifies about myself. He's qualified to do this. He and his father testify of him

The father and the son are the two witnesses of truth soon to have the Holy Spirit as a witness of truth and What's pitiful to consider is that these

Pharisees? might just believe Jesus is who he says he is if Moses came down and endorsed him if a man came from heaven

Not the man Christ Jesus, but if a man like Moses their beloved came down and said yeah

This is true. He is the Christ What's sad is they would believe possibly then maybe maybe not

But they don't believe God himself That's what's terribly sad. They don't believe

God himself The father and he testifies of him it's not the signs and wonders or the heavenly speech or the perfect righteousness or the

Fulfilling of every prophecy. It's not even the father's audible voice at the time of his baptism or at the mounts of Transfiguration where you hear the father endorsing the son.

It's not any of that It's that God is in the heavens and it pleased him to send his one and only son and that's enough

That's enough the very Presence of Jesus is enough to say that God is here

God is on the earth coming to redeem his people But he fulfills all these prophecies

He does all these signs and wonders and this audible voice of the father Endorses him and all these things happen what for our sake because we're we don't believe without that We need the

Holy Spirit to show us. He's so gracious to give us all these witnesses and evidences But all that's really needed is

God to say that he's God Verse 19 so they were saying to him.

Where is your father? Jesus answered, you know, neither me nor my father and if you knew me you would know my father also

So they where is your father I Think they were thinking of his earthly father

Where's your dad? Where's your father? And so it's more of the same Not judging with righteous judgment with what judging by appearances and by the flesh remember the conspiracies and speculations of Jesus's identity in my previous sermon and So they're they're possibly trying to understand his parentage

Tell us who your father is Could maybe they'll send out a delegation and they'll investigate

And I think that's also why in God's providence we talked about in John chapter 2 why

Joseph the husband of Mary is probably dead at this point You know,

I think I think it was in God's providence probably wise to bring Joseph to heaven early

But Jesus doesn't even address that Jesus never feels the necessity to demonstrate his

Davidic bloodline through Mary or even through his through his

Earthly father Joseph. He he doesn't need to do that He doesn't give that sort of knowledge to the people that of course is in the genealogies in Matthew 1 and in Luke chapter 1 and Paul speaks to that But he continues to what

Jesus continues to demonstrate not his earthly Parentage, but his heavenly his heavenly

No one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him and I will raise him up on the last day as It is written in the prophets and they shall be taught of God everyone who has heard and learned from the father comes to me

Their question shows that they don't know who Jesus really is That they haven't learned from the father that they've not been drawn by the father according to John 6 and even worse

They're in capability to see him for who he is demonstrates. They don't know God himself

These people Who are part of this religious order who say they follow the one true

God. They don't even know God himself And so Jesus Again is the one who reveals this father to know the father is to know

Jesus and to know Jesus is to know the father and Unfortunately, these men know neither

Trinity is a package deal If you claim the father But deny the son, you know

Not a single one of them if you claim the son and you call the father that big meanie from the

Old Testament Who's not God anymore, but Jesus is God now then you're like Marcion the heretic

And you don't truly know God So it ends in verse 20

Capping off the Feast of Tabernacles theme from the beginning of verse. I'm sorry chapter 7

It says these words he spoke in the treasury as he taught in the temple and no one seized him because his hour

Had not yet come So he was teaching all these Jewish pilgrims who had come into town that whole week

During the festival and the feast but no one seized him John gives his famous temperature check which he he says this exact phrase his hour had not yet come

That's happened several times now and it's gonna change Over the next few chapters.

We're gonna start to see and his hour is coming or the hour is near But this is

John's Famous temperature check his hour did not yet come God did not yet allow him to be captured the water is moving from a simmer to a slow boil now hostilities are rising

The conflict is progressing And the Jewish leaders are beginning to see that they can't stop

Jesus in his influence. He's taking over So it's gonna take murder to take care of that or so they thought

It's so they thought so let's wrap this up Jesus is the light of the world and the light of life

If you have believed on him and follow him as he said that changes everything that changes everything for you

Right after Peter speaks about Christ being either the chief cornerstone or the stone of stumbling

For a person which is the exact thing we saw last week Peter then says in his first letter in chapter 2

Speaking of us, but you are a chosen race a royal priesthood a holy nation a people for God's own possession

So that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light

For you were once not a people, but now you are the people of God You had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy

So leaving darkness if you're going to leave darkness, the only way is to go to the light

Leaving our old selves means becoming the people of God We were once God's dispossession, but now we're his prized possession

Jesus even tells us in the Sermon on the Mount What does he say you

Are the lights of the world a city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

It's amazing He is the I am the light of the world, but then he says to us

Your lights of the world to not in the same way but in that derivative

Way that shining like a lamp like he said of John the Baptist we're like lamps

We shine the light of Christ we point to him We shine our

Lord by his spirit and every time Jesus shined Every time that Jesus has shined in the

Gospels. He did it through speaking and working. I mean this very seriously

No one and I believe no one no one Will shine the light of Christ Unless you also speak and act you just want if you don't speak and act

Like Christ has shown us in his example. You will not shine the light That's how he did it

No one's gonna see you sitting in your car Listening to praise music with your Jesus fish sticker on the back and go.

I wonder how that person is so different Wow You got to speak and act

That's how you're a light of the world Paul says in Ephesians chapter 5 not to participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather expose them

He says as all things become visible Are Are then exposed by the light that's how they become visible

So we are called as Christians to not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather expose them

We are to expose them We are to call what's evil evil So no, that's not loving.

No, you're supposed to take what's in the dark and bring it into the light It doesn't say

Just don't participate in the darkness Christians don't participate in the darkness and you're all good.

It says it It begs the fact if you're a light of the world Then you must expose that which is dark and bring it into the light

Okay And my friends if you are a believer today

Then hear me out. You do you don't need to run back to the shadows Whatever you think is still there that used to satisfy you won't satisfy you anymore

Okay You don't need to run back to the shadows. It won't satisfy the way the light of the world satisfies and maybe lately you feel like as a believer you're walking in the valley of the shadow of Death you're walking in it and my encouragement would be to you that That's simply

From your vantage point. That's how you're looking But if you're walking in the shadow of the valley of death

My admonishment would be to you to look up To look up to see the light to see that the light has never left you

To stop looking down to stop looking at the darkness to realize that you're actually on the path of light and Your circumstance hasn't moved you that it's perception

Remember his promises uncover your eyes because that's what we're doing. Sometimes is we're just covering our eyes and We're seeing darkness.

It's like of course, I'm a believer. I'm in the light and that's what we do When we stay away from his word

Because we're hurting right now When we recluse from the local church because they can't understand the pain

I am in Then we're simply covering our eyes as believers. I see darkness.

No take them off See the light see the light For those of you

Maybe even those watching who don't know Jesus as Savior and Lord You've walked in the darkness so long that you've gotten used to it

You know how I know I used to be that way You walk in darkness so long your eyes get accustomed to it

You get used to it, but it's never too late Your sin is never too great for the

Savior to forgive it never never Think back to our introduction

What did I talk about the pillar of fire the pillar of fire at night the blinding light of God Do you know why the people even feared to see the derivative shining glory of God Because they knew their sin and they knew his holiness

But here's the most amazing thing Because of Christ because of what he's done for you brothers and sisters

We can look at the pillar of fire. We can look at the glory of God and he will not consume us

He will never consume us He will lead us to the light of life and life eternal because of Christ Let's pray

Father in heaven Thank you for the message that went out today

God help us to see your light help us to remember that we're children of light

Lord help us to stop walking in the shadows help us to stop seeking the things from the shadows as if they would please us

We know they don't God help us to stop closing our eyes and to remember

Now we walk in the light that we have a great hope God help us to continue to see your light on this

Christian path Lord we're walking on this lit path and to our rights to our left is darkness, but we're on the lit path and The greater we walk and the further we get the brighter you become help us to see that Help us to see that Lord God, thank you

For your word, thank you for the promises of Christ Thank you that he is put to death all that which is dark in our lives and That one day you

Jesus will be the everlasting light lighting the new creation whether that's spiritual or Physical or both it's going to be magnificent either way

And so Lord we praise you for it. You are our light help us to be lights of the world as well